The Hot List: Our favorite restaurants and bars in SF right now

For anyone prepared to ask us, “Where should I eat tonight?” here’s our answer: the Hot List, our opinionated guide to the top restaurants and bars in San Francisco right now. Some of the picks are new and noteworthy; others are rediscovered favorites. All are worth your while, whether for a supremely comforting bowl of noodle soup or a fried fish sandwich that tastes like nostalgia. We’ll update the list at the top of every month.

For more restaurant recommendations, check out our series Eat Here Now. 

Looking for a steal? Try the $25 Diner.

And if you’re ready to raise a glass, let Swig City be your guide.

An eclectic menu unlike anything else in town
Owned by chef Sung Park, who is Korean, and Anantachai Sanguanwong, who is Thai (hence the portmanteau Kothai), this small restaurant is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Yes, there are classic Korean dishes, like kalbi, and tom yum noodle soup, which is Thai. But there are also things like chicken liver mousse with mochi popovers and a dreamy dish of lamb braised till buttery, with Sichuan peppercorns and cumin, served atop smoky roasted eggplant alongside a flaky roti.

Intoxicating cocktails of a different kind 
Lilah is small and well-designed, and though the drinks may be light on alcohol, the creativity runs high, including shaved ice cocktails made from a hand-cranked Japanese machine. There’s also a small menu of Asian-influenced dishes, from Taiwanese pork belly buns to a decadent trio of Cantonese duck crispy tacos. The result is intoxicating — in a totally different way. 

A taste of modern Peruvian cuisine 
Chef Carlos Altamirano opened his eighth Bay Area restaurant in early October, and the eponymous spot proves that even after 20 years, he’s still the Peruvian cuisine king. The upscale Altamirano serves an à la carte menu that spans Peruvian classics like a bright and citrus-forward salmon ceviche ($22) and Japanese-influenced plates like yuzu-kissed lobster black bao ($18). Weather permitting, the best seats are out on the covered back patio, which is decked out with heaters and a separate bar.

One of the best fish sandwiches in town 
Lord Stanley may be best known for its 10-course French-inspired tasting menu — but if you ask me, you’re missing out on some of the restaurant’s best offerings if you don’t explore the takeout menu. Available from noon to 9 p.m. daily, the takeout menu features a $13 smashburger, $22 dry-fired pork ribs, and a stellar fish sandwich ($18) inspired by none other than the Golden Arches. Don’t skip the beignets ($10), which are light as air and come with sides of crème chantilly and blackberry caramel. 

A big, beef-filled night on the town 
Don’t let any preconceptions you might have about clubstaurants stop you from checking out AB Steak, the first Bay Area restaurant from Vegas-based chef Akira Back. It’s a sexy, subterranean Korean steakhouse where the staff will grill and slice cuts of beautifully marbled, dry-aged ribeye and bulgogi on gold-trimmed grills set into the table. A spread of banchan, fresh leaves of lettuce and perilla, and toppings like garlic chips and sea salt let you customize each bite. 

Some of the city’s most complex cocktails
Three-year-old Russian Hill cocktail den Bar Iris just rolled out a new menu that showcases its renewed focus on all things Japanese. The sister business to Michelin-starred Nisei, located next door, is mixing some of the city’s most ambitious drinks, such as the $19 “Not a Martini.” Despite looking like the classic gin or vodka concoction, it doesn’t contain any ingredients you’d typically find in one, featuring instead a trio of Mexican spirits: mezcal, raicilla, and sotol.

Hand-pulled noodle soup that’s comfort in a bowl 
This little unassuming restaurant, which opened a month ago, is a reminder that the city is full of discoveries. The main menu is Thai, but there is also a special little Lao menu that includes kao piak, a soup made with a silken pork-and-ginger-infused chicken broth and handmade rice noodles, and the mhok pla, made of catfish filet and ton of dill steamed in a banana leaf. The crispy rice salad with sour sausage is another must-order. 

A special, but not too stuffy, night out
Showa Le Gourmet Tonkatsu, a Japanese restaurant in SoMa, might be San Francisco’s most exciting new fine-dining destination. The $150 12-course tasting menu showcases the art of crispy fried katsu, served alongside accouterments that include a sweet-tangy house-made dipping sauce and a bottomless bowl of light-as-snow shredded cabbage. Co-owner Joe Chang provides warm, energetic service, and the bathroom is over the top.

A drink in the highest bar in town
Of all the sky-scraping spots to get a drink, none can match Cityscape’s elevation 46 floors above Taylor and Eddy Streets. Recently reopened after a four-month renovation, the bar offers unobstructed panoramic views of the city, best taken in over an astronomical- or astrological-themed cocktail. The most fun is the liter-size Galileo Highball ($80), a blend of gin and citrus-ginger soda that serves up to five people.

A taste of the burgeoning Indian fine-dining scene
San Francisco has officially entered its era of elegant Indian dining, thanks to new restaurants that include Tiya, Copra, and Bombay Brasserie. Opulent Tiya in the Marina sparkles with emerald-green walls and mustard-yellow banquettes. There’s a tasting menu, but the pro move is to sit at the bar and order à la carte. Tiger shrimp “xec xec” puts chef Pujan Sakar’s soulful and whimsical cuisine on full display: South African shrimp are served in an umami-rich, oily, spicy slick of bedgi chile and miso, with a gooseberry chutney.

Top-notch takeout sushi
The next time you’re craving something fancier than takeout sushi — but still want to enjoy it in the comfort of home — try Aji Kiji. The takeout-only operation comes from chef Jinwoong Lim, who worked at Kinjo and Kabuto before opening this minimalist spot in the Fillmore. It has no seats, but it might just be the city’s best new sushi restaurant. A box of stunning sashimi and maki will set you back $43, a real bargain when you consider the care put into each one. Show up early; Aji Kiji regularly sells out. 

French beach-town vibes and seafood stew
Ocean Beach is only a baguette’s toss away from this casual, cute all-day bistro run by a trio of French expats. There are croissants and capps in the morning, of course. On warm days, guests sit outside sipping rosé and swiping crisp radishes through salty-oily-fishy anchoiade, sand still between their toes. And on foggy ones (of which there are many), everyone cozies up inside over hefty bowls of bourride, the restaurant’s signature rustic seafood stew.